The present invention relates to a means of attaching a bed foundation to a headboard in the assembly of a bed and, more particularly, to a foundation headboard bracket system that provides a versatile, bracket system for firmly affixing a bed foundation to a headboard.
In general, there are a number of differing types of bed frames and constructions used in the assembly and formation of a bed. One typical construction is with the use of a bed frame where there are side rails having cross members that are pivotally affixed at or proximate to the ends of the side rails. During shipment, for convenience, the cross members are in a position parallel to and adjacent to the side rails and, during the assembly of the bed frame, those cross members are pivoted outward from that parallel orientation to a position at about a ninety degree angle with respect to the side rails and the free ends of the opposed cross members are affixed together forming a generally rectangular frame that receives the box spring and a mattress that rests atop of the box spring. That bed frame construction provides support for the box spring generally along the entire sides of the box spring. There are brackets at the head of the bed frame that are used to secure the bed frame to a headboard and the brackets normally have elongated openings to allow some adjustability in affixing the bed frame to the headboard since the standard bed frame and standard headboard have mounting holes that may vary in width and height. In most cases, however, the location of such holes conform to a standard minimum and maximum range for both the width (vertical) and height (horizontal) in order for the slots in the bed frame to align with the holes in the headboard to allow screws to pass therebetween in affixing the bed frame to the headboard.
Another construction of a bed, however, involves the use of a bed foundation. The bed foundation basically replaces the normal box spring and has reinforced sides, generally made of wood 2×4's, such that the bed foundation does not require support along the sides but only at the comers of the bed foundation. As such, there are metal plates in the shape of truncated triangles, that are located beneath each of the four comers of the bed foundation so that legs can be screwed into threaded holes in the metal plates to thereby allow the bed foundation to be basically self-supporting on the four legs. At the front and rear ends of the bed foundation, there are threaded inserts that allow the attaching of adjustment brackets that are used to align and attach the headboard and footboard to the bed foundation to obtain the correct alignment, vertically and horizontally, in the same manner as with the previously described bed frame.
For example, at the front end of the bed foundation, there is normally a pair of vertically spaced apart threaded inserts located proximate to both of the outer edges of the front end of the bed foundation. The adjustment bracket is therefore affixed to the bed foundation by machine screws inserted into the threaded insets with some limited horizontal adjustment and the typical adjustment bracket then also has one or more vertical slots that are used in attaching the headboard to the adjustment bracket by means of bolts that pass through those vertical slots, through the headboard and secured by nuts.
There are certain difficulties, however, in the simple attachment of the headboard to a bed foundation through the use of the flat, adjustment bracket. One of the difficulties lies in the basic construction of the typical adjustment bracket itself which is a relatively weak, flat stamped metal construction and is simply not strong enough to carry out the task of affixing the bed foundation to the headboard, particular where many of the bed foundations are sold with more expensive, heavy, decorative headboards creating consider leverage and joint strain on the adjustment bracket and causing a premature failure of the connection between the bed foundation and the headboard.
In addition there is a difficulty in carrying out the connection between the adjustment bracket and the headboard in that the adjustment bracket is affixed directly to the bed foundation and there is, therefore, very limited access to the side of the adjustment bracket that faces the bed foundation. Thus, that attachment is unlike the attaching of a bed frame to a headboard since the bed frame is normally attached to the headboard prior to the box spring being placed on the bed frame so that there is full access to that to the rear facing headboard bracket on the bed frame for the insertion of bolts or other fastening devices. As such, with a bed foundation type of bed, it is generally quite difficult and cumbersome to thread a bolt through the adjustment bracket and through the headboard holes due to the rather limited space in which to thread the bolts through the adjustment bracket.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have an improved headboard bracket system for affixing a bed foundation to a headboard that facilitates or eases making that connection while providing a strong, rigid affixation therebetween.